Nicholas was born in Nottingham and studied Commerce at Birmingham University, and singing at the Royal Northern College of Music and the National Opera Studio. He won the Eric Vietheer prize at Glyndebourne, and was a Peter Moores Foundation scholar.

He recently performed John Peter Pan (Richard Ayres) for Welsh National Opera and the ROH, Covent Garden and tenor arias, Bach: John Passion for Trondheim Baroque, Norway.

Operatic highlights include Rudolph Euryanthe and First Prisoner in Fidelio (Glyndebourne and Le Châtelet, Paris); Nemorino in Elixir of Love (Grange Park); title role in Count Ory at Blackheath Halls; Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos and Albazar in Il turco in Italia (Garsington); Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Almaviva in Barber of Seville, Fernando in The Wild Man of the West Indies, Paris in King Priam at the Linbury Theatre, ROH (English Touring Opera); Lippman in Of Thee I Sing (Bregenz); Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte (Tokyo); Nero in Coronation of Poppea (Early Opera Company); Tamino in Die Zauberflote (Tel Aviv); Orpheus in Orpheus in the Underworld (Scottish Opera) and Frederic in Pirates of Penzance for Scottish Opera and D’Oyly Carte. He made his debut at the Edinburgh International Festival as Sam in the world premiere of Ghost Patrol by Stuart Macrae for Scottish Opera and Music Theatre Wales, winner of a Soutbank/Sky Arts award for best opera.

He is a frequent guest for Opera North, where his roles have included Camille in The Merry Widow, Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lamplighter in Weimberg’s The Portrait, Pedrillo in Abduction from the Seraglio, Lucano in Coronation of Poppea and 1st Shepherd/1st Spirit in Orfeo (Monteverdi).

He enjoys performing the works of Jonathan Dove, creating the roles of Soppy Hat in Swanhunter for Opera North, Adam in The Walk from the Garden for Salisbury and Lichfield Festivals and The Unknown Soldier with the London Mozart Players. He has also performed Tobias in Tobias and the Angel and Lampwick in Pinocchio.

An experienced concert performer, he has sung Parry Jones in A Serenade to Music at the BBC Proms (LSO/Sir Andrew Davis); Tirsi in La Danza at the Wigmore Hall with Christian Curnyn; Hotel Porter in Death in Venice (QEH/Richard Hickox); Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle at St. John’s, Smith Square, Messiah at Cadogan Hall and Camille in The Merry Widow at the Royal Festival Hall with John Wilson and the Philharmonia.

Recordings include: Prince Dominic The Sofa (Independent Opera) for Chandos; Andres Maria del Carmen and Judge Schwanda the Bagpiper (NAXOS).

Current engagements for ²⁰¹⁵⁄₁₆ include Remendado (Carmen) for Scottish Opera, Richard (The Devil Inside) (world premiere of Stuart Macrae’s new opera) for Scottish Opera and Music Theatre Wales with performances in Toronto, and Nanki-poo (The Mikado) for Scottish Opera and D’Oyly Carte.